Soaps On The Entertainment Shows Last Night

In Italy, a voice (Ridge Forrester) has been stilled When Claudio Capone died of a stroke a week ago, actors John Travolta, Don Johnson and Ronn Moss all lost their voice -- in Italian. The 55-year-old Mr. Capone was a towering figure -- a leading doppiatore, or dubber, in a land that has for decades shunned movies with subtitles in favor of Hollywood popcorn blockbusters buttered with rapid-fire Italian staccato. The best Italian dubbers are themselves actors who boast symbiotic relationships with Hollywood stars, mastering their verbal tics to the point that Italian audiences consider dubbers inseparable from the people they dub. "He is very much part of the character for me," said Mr. Moss, who plays the repentant playboy Ridge Forrester on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Mr. Capone had dubbed Mr. Moss for Italian viewers since the show began more than two decades ago, and now producers are scrambling to find a replacement. Deep Soap: Feel Free To Skip The Boring Parts of This Column Sara A. Bibel blogs: "Many of us soap viewers share a dirty little secret -- the fast forward button. When that character you hate or the couple you find the opposite of romantic comes on screen, a simple press of the button and they’re gone – along with the commercials. It saves time, it lowers blood pressure, and makes the viewing experience more pleasurable." BLOG UPDATE: Lynn Liccardo "...my little ten-minute plays bear little resemblance to today’s plot-driven soaps, they do evoke Amherst professor William H. Prichard’s 1986 description of soap operas as 'a seemingly endless process by which people talk themselves into and out of happiness and misery.' Kind of like the lives we lead and the stories we tell." Local soap opera to debut from former soap writer SO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY is a soap opera billed as a humorous take on the daily interactions that take place in Rhinebeck between old-timers, weekenders and newcomers. The writer, Sam Hall, is a former writer for DARK SHADOWS and ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Both shows starred Hall's late wife, Grayson. The Halls bought a home in Rhinebeck in 1979, and began staying fulltime in the 1990s. So far, Hall has enough material for four episodes; he said the script is based on many of his personal experiences. The project came about when Hall approached Kathy Hammer, president of PANDA, local cable access Channel 23, with the idea of a soap opera-like program, involving local talent and residents. EVENT: Michael Damian in Clifton Park for the 4th of July In Clifton Park, join Ric Mitchell and Laura Daniels of B95.5 for the event at Clifton Common. Check out Sirsy, the Audiostars and a special appearance by Michael Damian from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. His show begins at 4 p.m. BLOG UPDATE: Tom Casiello "Tom's Residual Religious Experience" thanks to the WGA. Today's OTLL like the glory days of GL? Patrick Erwin writes: "I watched OLTL a bit here and there (especially during the first Malone years), but I am really drawn to the quality of the show now. What could I possibly say about OLTL that has not been said before — about the writing, the characters, the pacing? Nothing, that’s what. So instead of trying to recap OLTL, I decided I’d try to tell you why I’m loving OLTL so much … by talking about GUIDING LIGHT."

Evening News

1 INTERVIEW: B&B's Texas Battle burns up CBS Daytime "You want to make sure when you come into a show that’s been airing for years, you want to make sure you are on your A-game. You want to be professional, and you also want to make sure that you’re liked and that you’re not bringing a prima donna attitude to the set. You want to make sure that you get along with everybody and that you mesh. So you definitely don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. coming on to the set, especially, being the new guy in town. You just want to make your mark saying, 'I’m here, and I’m taking this seriously just like you guys are, and I want to make the best possible chance I can while I’m here on the show. Let’s get to it, let’s go to work.' Especially Susan Flannery, like you said, they’ve been there since day one. Ronn Moss has as well, then you have Katherine Kelly Lang, she’s been there since day one, and John McCook. You know what? They all have welcomed me with open arms. It’s like a family over there, and that’s one thing that is really keeping everything together. It’s keeping the show going and keeping such freshness over there because everyone is like a family. You can’t ask for anything better than that when you’re going to be a new character on a series." On the Soap Shrink’s Couch: Y&R's Kevin Fisher Damon L. Jacobs writes: "Kevin Fisher came blazing into The Young and the Restless‘ Genoa City five years ago with rage in his heart, fire in his eyes, violence in his fists, and chlamydia in his … well, you know. He spent a significant portion of his time chasing after Lily, lying, manipulating, setting fires, breaking mirrors. As his violence escalated, it became more and more clear there was a tortured young man inside who was acting out his hatred against himself more than anyone else." 1 WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Amanda Seyfried Amanda Seyfried has come a long way. Starting off as a child model, she ventured into the world of show business first by recurrently appearing on soaps like AS THE WORLD TURNS and ALL MY CHILDREN. Then she made her way to the big screen by portraying a ditzy "Plastic" in Mean Girls, which eventually led to her role as a doomed high-school beauty on VERONICA MARS and her current small screen gig as Sarah Henrickson on HBO's BIG LOVE. Now, she takes the center stage as she leads the film version of the musical Mamma Mia!, which will hit theaters on July 18. NEIGHBOURS star in horror pneumonia flight NEIGHBOURS darling Kym Valentine has endured a nightmare flight home from New York after coming down with pneumonia and spending the journey seriously ill. Valentine, who plays Libby Kennedy on the long-running soap, was rushed to hospital as soon as she landed in Melbourne on Saturday morning, the Daily Telegraph reports. The actress reportedly told flight attendants on boarding the plane that she felt ill, and later became so unwell she was floating in and out of consciousness. At one point flight staff were forced to administer oxygen. Valentine is now recovering in hospital, where it is believed that boyfriend and fellow actor Vince Colosimo is fixed by her bedside.

Flashback: Shawn Christian 1996

Last night's entertainment shows featured several soap appearances. First Caitlin Van Zandt from GUIDING LIGHT appeared on THE INSIDER to follow up on her lap-band surgery. Then Cyndi Lauper appeared on ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT to promote her appearance on AS THE WORLD TURNS today. Later, THE SOUR PRESENTS on E! made fun of Taylor on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.

Flashback: The Edge of Night 1980

Amateurs get chance for a role on HOLLYOAKS 1 Ever watched an episode of HOLLYOAKS and thought you could do better than some of the actors? Well, if you live or work in Merseyside, you could get the chance to prove it. The soap is joining forces with NOW THAT'S WHAT WE CALL CULTURE, which is searching for the most talented people in the region. Singers, dancers and performers of all kinds will get their chance to audition at the Echo Arena on August 6 and 7. A dozen lucky finalists will then compete in a special show on Friday August 8, where there'll be judged by a panel including Tony Wood, the creative director of Lime Pictures, the company behind HOLLYOAKS. The winners will be given a guest appearance in the soap, £1,000 in cash and the chance to take part in Liverpool's Capital of Culture closing ceremony. Hollyoaks' creator Phil Redmond told the show's website: "Even if you don't want to perform, come and support and celebrate those that do - and judging from the various local talent shows I have been at this year - this show will be one well worth seeing!" 1 Ex-EASTENDER Jack Ryder lands job on THE BILL Former EASTENDER Jack Ryder is to make a return to TV - in police drama THE BILL. The 26-year-old actor - best known for playing Albert Square heartthrob Jamie Mitchell - met producers last week about joining the ITV series. He is set to play a new character called Duane Howe. It will be the first highprofile TV job the star has landed since his EASTENDERS character was killed off in 2005. INTERVIEW: Former ANOTHER WORLD, LOVING and 90210 actor Luke Perry "There are certain things I wanna do before I’m done. I want to run on top of a train. If the script says I get to run on top of a train, I’ll do it. I accepted a role awhile back – my manager didn’t want me to because it wasn't that good – but the script called for running on top of a train. I didn’t care; I wanted to do it, so I took the role. The movie ended up falling through, though, which I guess was good." CORRIE star reveals financial woes CORONATION STREET star Bev Callard has admitted that she is in a financial crisis. The actress, who plays Liz McDonald on the ITV1 soap, revealed that she fears for the future of her two pub businesses after being hit by the credit crunch. Callard and her partner Jon McEwan are landlords at the White Horse pub in Eccles, Manchester, and trendy bar The Gallery in Hale, Cheshire. "If only running a real pub was half as easy as it looks on CORONATION STREET," Bev told the News of the World. "The way we run The Rovers on telly is in the realms of make-believe. If it was in the real world it would have shut down years ago. 90210 alumni back on TV Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that 90210 alum Shannen Doherty is in talks to reprise her role as Brenda Walsh on the spinoff and since Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling are already on board, it can mean only one thing: catfight. EXHIBIT: DALLAS: Power & Passion on Primetime TV "Dallas is not a phenomenon of 30 years ago, but actually is continuing to bring in new viewers," said Janet Staiger, curator of "DALLAS: Power & Passion on Primetime TV," a new exhibit at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 14, chronicles how the show's memorable characters, scandalous story lines and TV firsts – most notably the "Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger – spawned a global juggernaut that continues to fascinate legions of fans. HOLLYOAKS Jennifer Metcalfe is back with Jermaine Pennant Soccer star Jermaine Pennant has got his Mercedes back—and she's definitely top of the range. Soap star lover Jennifer Metcalfe — Mercedes McQueen on HOLLYOAKS — says she's thrilled they reversed their decision to split. Showing the beautiful bodywork that tempted him back, and talking for the first time about their rekindled romance, the 25-year-old actress said: "We are together again. Things are going well and we're very happy."